Results for Oh Mercy

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389Bob Dylan

During this episode Jim and Greg wrap up our series on Bob Dylan and bring it up to "Modern Times". How, you may ask, can they gloss over the '70s and '80s so cavalierly? Trust that it was difficult to narrow down Dylan's entire canon to three episodes. And it's important to note that Dylan is one of those rare artists who emerged in the '60s and was still making great, new music into his sixties. So that's why our hosts decided to bring it up to Act III: 1989-2006. Dylan was in amazing form live and released a string of impressive albums including Oh Mercy, Time Out of Mind and Modern Times. He collaborated with producerDaniel Lanois and also worked with Jim and Greg's guest this week, engineerMark Howard. Howard gives us a sneak peek into what it's like to record with Dylan.

As always Jim and Greg like to round out these features by highlighting significant tracks. Greg chooses an unreleased version of "Mississippi," later put out on The Bootleg Series Vol. 8. A highly produced version appears on 2001's Love and Theft, but Greg prefers the more stripped down recording, calling the performance fascinating. And he notes that Dylan draws from older material for inspiration just like he did when he was starting out as a folkie.

Jim admits that he prefers Dylan live during these years. But "Ain't Talkin'" from Modern Times in 2006 is perfectly simple and spooky–just a fiddle, percussion and that signature voice. This is a song Dylan couldn't have given justice in his younger days.

reviews

2981Bob Dylan Tell Tale Signs: Rare and Unreleased 1989-2006

Bob Dylan has added another album to his“Bootleg Series”called Tell Tale Signs: Rare and Unreleased 1989-2006. Its songs were primarily from the recording sessions for three albums: Oh Mercy, Time Out of Mind and Modern Times, but for Jim and Greg it's almost like a brand new Dylan album. Greg explains that these new versions give a fresh perspective that isn't bogged down by Daniel Lanois' original production. Jim was not a huge fan of this Dylan period, but he loves that he can hear the singer/songwriter having fun with the songs. Both critics give Tell Tale Signs a Buy It.